Pikes Peak Region Trail Finder

Hellacious Trail Challenge lives up to its name

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Created on Sunday, 26 June 2011 17:47

Written by Aaron Linn

Photo by Bob Kane, Design Photography

Runners endure a tough race through Palmer Park

By KEVIN CARMODY, THE GAZETTE

Two years ago, Boulder Running Company took ownership of a new trail race at Palmer Park and figured the word “hellacious” would describe it appropriately.

Let the runners themselves tell you.

“It’s a tough course, and I’m sure some people get hurt in certain parts,” said Johnathan Koenck, a native of Leesville, La. “That’s why they call it hellacious. I was cruising on the flat part, but when I got to the technical part with big boulders, that really killed me. You don’t get that at sea level.”

Check out a photo gallery from the race!

The Hellacious Trail Challenge, an approximately 9.2 mile all-terrain trek through Palmer Park, put 150 runners to a hellacious test Sunday morning. A little more than an hour after the 7 a.m. start, Rampart High School science teacher Robby Young crossed the finish line first in 1 hour, 1.02 minutes.

"I’m training for a marathon this fall, and I ran this to win but also to build my endurance for the much longer run,” said Young, 25, a graduate of Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich. “This course definitely did that. I think they picked the right adjective for this race. It’s definitely hellacious.”

Perhaps more impressive was Young’s bolt to the portable toilet upon his finish.

“That’s something you don’t want to think about during a race,” Young said. “I guess it was something I ate. You’d think it would make you run faster, but that’s not true.”

Bill Fause finished second in 1:04.01, while Koenck was third in 1:05.28.

Video from the race

Coronado senior Drew Stimson didn’t fare well on the oval during the recently completed track and field season. On the trail, however, the 17-year-old excels as evidenced by his sixth-place finish on a much longer and rugged course.

“I really like the challenge of a trail race and do well in the uphill parts,” said Stimson, a state cross country qualifier last year. “It helps to be young because I have a quick recovery time, but I’ve run this park for years.”

Stimson hopes to study engineering at the Colorado School of Mines and has five advanced placement courses, along with cross country and track, on his plate for his senior year.

“I want to enjoy it,” Stimson said, “but I’ve got plenty of work to do, too. I don’t want to let anyone down.”

On the women’s side, Manitou Springs electrical engineer Amanda Occhi topped the category, finishing in 1:12.49. The native of Long Beach, Miss., and graduate of LSU took advantage of her hot and humid training grounds to build a nearly seven-minute margin over the next female competitor.

“Yeah, I think it helped,” Occhi said. “But I prefer running at altitude any day. Running down there is much tougher.”